Extensible and retractable coat hanger



July 10, 1956 s. A. PIERCE EXTENSIBLE AND RETRACTABLE COAT HANGER Filed Feb. 18, 1954 Q R E mm N m RN H1- m m H a w mmm 1 A a Y m M .I S \NHV i\ i E iig W\\ mm m BY 4;; W

ATTORNEY United States Patent EXTENSIBLE AND RETRACTABLE COA'1 HANGER Stanley A. Pierce, Palo Alto, Calif. Application February 18, 1954, Serial No. 411,091

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-94) The invention, in general, relates to apparel hangers and more particularly relates to an improved coat and jacket or sweater hanger embodying means for supporting apparel of various shoulder widths.

Heretofore in the art, there have been a number of different types of extensible arm coat hangers which have been devised for hanging thereon various sizes of garments. These prior devices, in the main, are of complex construction requiring increased costs of production and are relatively diflicult to adjust and re-adjust for use in supporting various shoulder width garments. The present invention is directed to the provision of an improved apparel hanger of the aforementioned character which obviates inherent disadvantages of prior constructions and which affords a relatively simple-adjustable arm hanger readily manipulated to size by children and adults alike.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved extensible and retractable coat hanger af fording adjustments of arm lengths with ease and with a minimum of effort and time.

Another important object of my invention is to provide an improved extensible and retractable coat hanger of the indicated nature which is additionally characterized by its simplicity of construction and its low cost of manufacture.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved extensible and retractable coat hanger of the aforementioned character which effectively supports garments of different shoulder widths and which eliminates dropping of garments to the floor to be trampled upon.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of the advantageous features thereof will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor to the precise arrangement of the various parts thereof, as my invention, as defined in the appended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevational view, partly in section and partly broken away to show the construction, of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view, partly in section, of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In its preferred form, the extensible and retractable coat hanger of my present invention preferably comprises a pair of rigid arms fixed to a central boss pierced by a hook for suspending the hanger from a rod, together with a pair of auxiliary arms slidable within said rigid arms to effect arm extensions beyond the extremities of said rigid arms, and means for retaining each of said auxiliary arms in any selected one of a plurality of extended positions relative to said rigid arms.

As illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, I provide a preferably integral unit consisting of a central boss 11 having a passage 12 therethrough at approximately the center thereof for passing a hook 13, terminating at one end in a head 14, the passage 12 being only slightly larger in cross-section than the cross-section of the hook so that a drive fit between the hook 13 and the head 14 can be effected and the hook permanently fitted to the head. The integral unit also includes a pair of rigid arms 16 and 17 which extend in opposite directions from the boss 11 and are inclined downwardly therefrom, as shown, such rigid arms being of the same length and serving to receive the shoulder portions of a garment.

In accordance with the present invention, each of the rigid arms 16 and 17 preferably is fabricated or formed into a channel shape and open both at the bottom as well as at the extremity thereof, as indicated at 18 and 19, respectively. Moreover, the bottom edges of each channelled rigid arm is inturned to form inturned flanges- 21 and 22 thereon, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Secured within the channelled rigid arms 16 and 17 and retained therein at its center by means of the head 14 of the hook 13 is a resilient strip 23, preferably fabricated of spring steel and divided by its point of retention into oppositely directed sections 24 and 26 extending, respectively, into rigid arms 16 and 17. On the extremities of the resilient strip 23, I provide by bending the strip sections, a pair of detents 27 and 23 which are upwardly directed, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

The improved extensible and retractable coat hanger of my present invention also includes a pair of auxiliary arms 31 and 32 which are slidably mounted within rigid channel arms 16 and 17, the auxiliary arms 31 and 32 likewise preferably being fabricated or formed into channels open at the bottom and at their outer extremities.

, Auxiliary arms 31 and 32 are smaller in dimension than rigid arms 16 and 17, and the bottom edges of the auxiliary arms 31 and 32 ride upon the inturned flanges 21 and 22 formed on the bottoms of the rigid arms 16 and 17, as the auxiliary arms are moved relative to the rigid arms. Moreover, the auxiliary arms preferably are made shorter in length than the rigid arms so that when the auxiliary arms are fully retracted they lie substantially wholly within the rigid arms, except for a short length to enable grasping thereof when it is desired to extend the hanger arms. Each of the auxiliary arms 31 and 32 is formed with a series of recesses 33, arranged in successive alignment, in the inner surface of the top of each arm, as illustrated in Fig. 1; the recesses successively receiving the detents 27 and 28 of the resilient strip sections 24 and 26, respectively, as the auxiliary arms 31 and 32 are moved outwardly and inwardly with respect to rigid arms 16 and 17, respectively. Preferably, the recesses 33 all are formed with rounded bottoms to permit ready release of the detents as the auxiliary arms are moved; such recesses, however, being of sufi'icient depth to enable the detents 27 and 28 effectively to hold each of the auxiliary arms 31 and 32 in any selected one of its extended positions relative to its related rigid arm.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 all illustrate the auxiliary arms 31 and 32in partially extended positions with respect to rigid arms 16 and 17. The movement of these arms relative to one another requires but little force and a child readily could manipulate the auxiliary arms inwardly and outwardly to adjust the hanger to the desired size so that the length of the rigid arms plus the extended length of the auxiliary arms, beyond the extremities of the rigid arms, furnishes sufficient shoulder length to accommodate the shoulders of a garment. If a smaller shoulderwidth garment is to be hung on the hanger, all that is necessary to be done is to move the auxiliary arms 31 3. and 32 inwardly into the channelled rigid arms 16 and 17: The resiliency of' the detents 27" and 28' of' the resilient strip 23 and the rounded concave recesses 33 of the auxiliary arms. permits this ready movement or,. in other words, no. restriction as to the slidahle, movement of. the auxiliary arms exists.

It is to he understood that the appended claims. are. to. be accorded arange of equivalents commensurate. in scope with the advance made over the priorart.

I; claim:

1. An extensible and? retractable coathanger for hang? ing garments of diflerent shoulder Widths, said hanger comprising, an integral unitconsisting of a central boss anda pair of rigid. hollow arms extendingin opposite directions from said boss, a hook. on said boss to enalile suspension of the hanger from a rod, a. resilient strip retained' on the inner end of'said hook, a pair of'resilient sections on said strip extending in opposite di rections into said hollow rigid" arms, a detent on. the ex.- tremity of each of'said resilient sections, and apair of' auxiliary arms slidably mounted within said rigid arms; said auxiliary arms having a series of notches therein engageable by said detents for retaining saidauxiliary arms in various selected positions relative to said rigidarms.

2; Anextensible and retractable coat hanger for hanging garments of different shoulder widths, said hanger comprising a central boss havinga passage therethrough, a hook extending through said' passage, a head on said hook, a pair of rigid hollow arms on said boss extending in opposite directions therefrom, a pair of' resilient strip sections secured by said head of said hook and extending into said rigid hollow arms, a detent on the extremity of each of said resilient sections, and a pair of auxiliary arms slidably mounted within said rigid hollow arms; each of said auxiliary arms having a series or rounded-bottom recesses therein for successively receiving said detentsasthe auxiliary arms are moved inwardly and outwardly relative to-said rigid arms.

3. In a coat hanger including ahook for suspending the hanger on a rod, a central boss having a passage therethroughfor retention of the hook, a headorr said hook underlying said passage, a pairofhollow rigid arms merging with said central boss and extending in opposite directions therefrom, a spring detent secured on said head and divided into half-sections with one half-section extending into one of. said pair of rigid. armsv and. the other half-sectionextending into the other of said pairof rigid arms,. and a pair. of auxiliary. arms having. a. series of recesses therein in spaced'relation: for selective:

engagement by said half-section detents to increase. and decrease-the lengths ofthe hanger arms.

References Citedrin the file of this patent UNITED STATES- PATENTS 2.446.312 Usina Aug. 3,. 1948 

